Although the country superstar had high hopes for Bradbery, it was a close competition, and even Shelton wasn’t sure who would clinch the top slot before the winner was revealed. “Miranda and I were sitting around after everybody performed,” he told Entertainment Weekly, “and we watched the episode back and both of us looked at each other and said I have no clue what’s going to happen.”

Bradbery beat the Swon Brothers and Michelle Chamuel, and afterward Shelton couldn’t understate what that meant. “Even to take myself out of the equation — Danielle Bradbery … I think might be the most important artist to ever walk across ‘The Voice’ stage because we’ve seen some artists come and go who’ve had record deals before, who have done some things before. Danielle Bradbery may be the first person we’ve actually discovered here on this show.”

Along with believing that the 16-year-old songstress is a truly magnificent find, he also gives her kudos for just being who she is. “She’s never changed throughout this competition,” Shelton says. “She’s always remained Danielle. She’s a 16-year-old girl. I hope that everybody gets a chance to meet her someday because you’ll know the same things that I know — that her concerns right now are now that this is over, ‘Can I go back and hang out with my friends for a week and have summer together.'”

Meanwhile, Bradbery is slowly taking all of this newfound fame in. One thing is sure: she wants Shelton to be by her side. However Shelton admitted he gets frusturated that after his artists win the NBC competition there’s little more he can do.

“I’m kind of professionally taken out of these artists’ lives and they move on with the record company and managers and stuff,” he told Country Weekly.

She can be confident that whatever comes next, Shelton will be rooting for her. It didn’t take long for Bradbery to take that next step. On Wednesday she signed a record deal with Big Machine Records.

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